When is a write off not a write off?

[richardfrost]

In a 'tragic' situation yesterday, my 2005 Jazz SE was involved in a collision and may be written off. I haven't seen the car yet myself but the damage looks quite modest. But the insurance people are probably working on returning it to concourse condition, whereas it was pretty scratched and dinted before and was destined to solely be my lad's 'van' once his partner gets her own car next month.

Never having been in this situation, I have no idea how this works. The car is maybe worth a few hundred quid more than the original catalytic converter it still has. But to us it's worth a lot more as it is perfect for the job and very reliable, and therein lies the tragedy. We don't want it scrapped, just fixed up. If it is 'beyond economical repair' but can be cheaply fixed up to be safe and roadworthy, where do we stand if the insurance company want to write it off?

Thanks.

[JimSh]

In a 'tragic' situation yesterday, my 2005 Jazz SE was involved in a collision and may be written off. I haven't seen the car yet myself but the damage looks quite modest. But the insurance people are probably working on returning it to concourse condition, whereas it was pretty scratched and dinted before and was destined to solely be my lad's 'van' once his partner gets her own car next month.

Never having been in this situation, I have no idea how this works. The car is maybe worth a few hundred quid more than the original catalytic converter it still has. But to us it's worth a lot more as it is perfect for the job and very reliable, and therein lies the tragedy. We don't want it scrapped, just fixed up. If it is 'beyond economical repair' but can be cheaply fixed up to be safe and roadworthy, where do we stand if the insurance company want to write it off?

Thanks.

Sorry to hear about the accident. Seems a shame to write it off if it can be patched up safely.
Unfortunately I do not know anything about the technicalities of insurance

[bobby boy]

I've being in this situation some tlme ago, kept the damaged vehicle and took a reduced payout from the insurance company.

[Toptek]

Sorry to hear about this. My farther was hit from behind in his 51 plate Yaris a couple of years ago. I forget the actual details but he got to keep the car and was given about £900 which he used to repair it which he did.
The dealership then serviced it prior to an mot (same appointment) which it failed due to underbody rust…
He would have been better just taking the money and using it for a px…
Sorry, just a different perspective…

[Kremmen]

I had a word with an insurance broker friend and he said :

OK so why are they going through insurance then??

They don't have to. If the car has little value and they really like it then they keep it are repair it. As long as it's cosmetic and can be safely repaired they just get a new MOT and carry on.

Yes it will be flagged as a write off on the database but as it's not worth anything anyway it won't matter.

I then asked about does blame matter and he said :

No it doesn't matter. He just asks for the car back and repairs it himself. It's still his car until he agrees to sign it over.

The insurers would still deal with any TP claim if it was his fault.

The problem now is that the process is very automated. You have an accident, the car is taken away and the repair / write off process starts immediately before you have had a say in the matter.

But his car will be sat somewhere and if he gets in quick and says he wants it back they can only hold it if they feel it is too dangerous to go back on the road. But if it's minor like he says and only an economic write off then he should be able to get it back.

[richardfrost]

Thanks Kremmen. Really appreciate you asking your friend.

They haven't got the car yet. Ben is still using it. A local mechanic, where we get it MOT'd, reckons if we get a front bumper off a scrapper then he can repair it for half a day's labour. Insurance is involved for the third party though.

So all I need to do now is find the correct front bumper (easier said than done).

[olduser1]

Try Hills Salvage for the bumper, or even your local breakers yard, I would go for clean condition bumper over colour match. Fitting a Honda part should be straightforward, good luck.
https://www.hills-motors.co.uk/

[Westy36]

Really sorry to hear of the crash. 

You should be given first refusal on the salvage if the car is written off. It will then be recorded on the loss register, but this will not affect future premiums. It will however affect the settlement value of future claims as it is a recorded car. That said, being an old car, this is not a problem.

Good luck with the repair.

[richardfrost]

Thanks everyone.

We are still waiting for a response from the insurer so we can get on and get the repair booked in before the MOT is due in early November.

Seems like Jazz Mk1 front bumpers are freely available on eBay so I just need to make sure I get one with the fog light apertures.

[richardfrost]

Ok, been offered cash to get the car fixed up ourselves, which id a good outcome. My only challenge is finding the right bumper. The car is an '05 registration and it seems there was a facelift in 2005 so I need to be sure I get the right version, unless the differences are negligible. I presume the VIN number might help here.

[olduser1]

Maybe this will help from memory the 2005 model had folding mirrors with turn signal part of lower half of ex mirrors and new colour range , see extract below
2005 changes/facelift (introduced September 2004)

New 1.2 i-DSi engine on S models
Suspension changes
SE models now have 15" alloy wheels and side airbags.
Sport replaces SE Sport with bodykit, automatic climate control and black interior trim
Electric folding door mirrors and steering wheel audio controls on SE and Sport
Electric sunroof now optional on SE and Sport.
Redesigned radio/CD players
New front and rear bumpers
New headlights and LED indicators in door mirrors (SE and Sport)
Alasbaster Silver Metallic, Sirius Blue Metallic, Venus Orange Metallic, Macha Cream and Helios Yellow Pearl colours added.
Iris Red, Ice Blue, Eternal Blue and Mint Opal Green discontinued.

 

[Westy36]

Not sure how the bumper search is going, but it might be worth giving https://www.breakerlink.com/ or https://www.findapart.online/ a try. Ebay is great, but not all breakers use it.

HTH 

[richardfrost]

Found a bumper yesterday, once we got the confirmation to proceed from Insurance. Arrived today. Amazing service. Car booked in for repair and MOT prep next Thursday. Just taxed it today for another year of low cost, reliable Jazz motoring. Thanks all for your help.

[olduser1]

Great news - good to hear the Jazz will be back on the road.

[Westy36]

Nice one! Pleased to hear the car gets another life. 

So many folk would be very happy to just take the money and get something new, resulting in a perfectly good car being scrapped.